Reed for accordions or the like



April 1957 A. E. MAGALIK ET AL REED FOR ACCORDIONS OR THE LIKE Filed March 1, 1954 .KN S' L M W T C N N A R W o N J w L mm AR BY AB 6 United States Patent REED non ACCORDIONS OR THE LIKE Alexander E. Magalik, Flushing, and Gabriel J. Jacomini, Queens Village, N. Y.

Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,358

1 Claim. (Cl. 84-363) This invention relates to the art of musical instruments and particularly concerns a novel reed for use in an accordion or similar instrument,

It is necessary in an instrument such as the accordion that the instrument play on both compression and expansion movement of the bellows. Heretofore this has been accomplished by a flow of air into and out of the instrument and through or over tuned reeds. Two reeds or double tongued reeds have of necessity been provided for each note or tone since one reed or tongue vibrates on inspiration of air into the instrument and the other reed or tongue vibrates on expiration of the air from the instrument. In order to insure that each reed or tongue produces the same tone as its companion reed or tongue it is necessary to scrape and file its several surfaces. This is a diliicult and laborious process and even with the greatest care taken in tuning when the air flows in one direction the tone is not absolutely the same as the tone produced by the air flows in the reverse direction. A careful study of the problem has revealed that it is possible to obtain the same tone regardless of direction of air flow if a uniquely constructed single tongue reed is provided according to the invention. We have discovered that in order for a single tongue reed to sound the same regardless of the direction of air flow, it is essential that the air path be substantially identical for each direction of air flow. The structure which insures this constant configuration of air flow must have substantial symmetry with respect to the vibratable tongue of the reed. This symmetry is provided in the reed constructed according to the invention.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a reed for an accordion or the like, so constructed as to sound the same regardless of the direction of air flow with respect to the reed.

It is a further object to provide a single tongue reed housed in a symmetrical structure to provide substantially identically shaped air paths through the reed.

It is a further object to provide a single tongue reed tor an accordion adapted for mounting in a compact arrangement with other similar reeds and simultaneously vibratable therewith, the sounds of the several reeds being substantially the same regardless of the direction of air flow through the accordion and through the reeds.

It is a further object to provide a reed having a single tongue and a two part plate housing therefor, with the several parts substantially identical in shape.

it is a further object to provide a two part plate housing for a reed, the several parts being identical in shape and adapted for low cost fabrication by mass production metal casting processes.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following description taken together with the drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a reed embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the reed of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective exploded view of the several parts of the reed embodying the invention.

In Figs. 1 and 2 are shown the reed body 10 consisting of two identical plates. Each plate is substantially rectangular in shape and has an outer fiat face 12, an inner flat face 13, and flat sides 14. A rectangular aperture 32 is located near the top of each plate so that when the plates are assembled together as shown in Fig. 3, apertures 32 are in registry. The inner side of the plate surrounding aperture 32 has an inclined portion 15. A U-shaped ridge 16 is provided on each plate partially surrounding a rectangular aperture 17.

As shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 4, the ridge 16 tapers from its raised yoke portion down to the extremities of its legs where it is flush with the surface of face 12. Small apertures 19 are provided in the plates by which they are fastened together by suitable pins, screws, rivets or the like. These apertures may be threaded to receive suitable screws. A larger aperture 18 is provided below opening 17. Aperture 18 opens into a recess 20. This recess is adapted to receive a flattened head 23 or end of a suitable fastener element such as rivet 22 which secures the tongue 21 to the plates.

The recess 28 is adapted to receive a nut if the fastener element 22 is a headed screw. Tongue 21 is a thin strip of metal provided with a wide section 24 at its lower end. This section lodges snugly in the recessed portion 25 of the inner face 13 of the plate preventing sidewise movement of the tongue. An aperture 26 is located in tongue section 24- to register with apertures 18 of the associated plates. An aperture or recess 28 is provided above opening 32 in each plate. In the aligned apertures 28 is lodged pin 29 which supports a flexible valve diaphragm 30. The valve diaphragm is rectangular and substantially coeX- tensive with the inclined portions 15 of the inner face of the plate. Normally the valve member is disposed in a plane coplanar with the plane of tongue 21 as shown in Fig. 3. The valve diaphragm may be made of rubber or any other suitable tough resilient material. A hole 31 is provided in the valve diaphragm to receive pin 29.

A plurality of tuned reeds each consisting of two as sembled plates 11, a tongue 21 and a valve diaphragm 30 are adapted for mounting in a compact array since the reeds may be secured in a suitable reed block which supports them in such a manner that air passes into the reeds only through openings 32 and passes out only through the openings 17 as the tongues vibrate.

In operation of a reed, air flows in one direction on compression or expansion of the accordion bellows into one opening 32 of one plate of the reed. The pressure of air against the diaphragm 3t) inclines it to contact the inclined portion 15 of the inner side 13 of the opposite plate effectively closing opening 32 therein. The flow of air causes tongue 21 to vibrate and the air flows out of the rectangular openings 17. Tongue 21 vibrates well within the limits of the ridges 16. On reversal of the direction of air flow, the air enters the opening 32 closed by diaphragm 3h inclining it to the inclined portion 15 of the opposite face 13 closing the opening 32 in the opposite plate. The flow of air in the reverse direction causes vibration of the tongue 21 in the same manner as before and air continues to leave the reed through openings 17. It will be noted that the shape of the air passage is the same for both directions of air flow so that the sound of the reed is the same for both directions of air flow and this equality of sound is accomplished with a reed structure including only a single reed.

The symmetrical arrangement of the structure is considered of primary importance and its accomplishment by use of twoeplates of: identicalshape-is of especial 7 significance. The basic plate is so-shaped that it can be mass produced by conventional metal casting processes resulting -in a rnore economical recd structure" than has heretofore been possible. Or" course the provision of asingle tonguei in'stead' of the prior double tonguearrangements used heretofore effects a'further-econorny in material, tuning, and 'assembly cos'ts while the tone qualities of the instrument are irnproved. The improvement in tone qualities results fro'inthe fact that the reeds sound the same for both directions of air flow making possible for the first timethe"apparent' sustaining of a single unchanging tone' inf an accordion 'while the bellowsare expanded and compressed. :This tone quality may-be contrasted with that eobtained in accordions i employing double tongued reeds where'on'reversal ofair fiow a distinct discontinuity in sound occurs as one tongue ceases vibration and another tongue: starts vibration. Eurth'ermore the two vibrating tOnguesLdoinot sound alike because it is not possible to tunethern exactly lalike. Even though their fundamental freque-nciessniay be alike, elusive differences in their partials or overtones exist which makes the qualities of their tones-different. it is this undesired diiference in tone quality obtained in double tongued reed accordions which the present invention avoids.

-:In-the. fo'regoingdescription the preferred embodiment ofthezinventionhas been described and the stated objects are manifestly accomplished thereby, Certain modificationsandchanges are possible in the structure described withoutdeparting froin the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claim.

"We claim:

-A' reed for an accordion or the like, comprising a reed body consisting of two identical plates disposed flat against each other and secured'together, each said plate having on the side facing theother plate a tapered recess formed therein, said. recess extending longitudinally of each said plate and being "deeper at its upper end and shallower at it lower end,'an elongated rectangular opening formed in each said plate,'longitudinally thereof and centrally of said tapered recess, the opposite side of each said plate having 'atapered U-shaped flange-formed thereon along the sides anduppen end of the rectangular opening, the

i of the first tapered recess, said recesses in each said plate being in communication-Witheach other and in communication with the corresponding recesses in the other plate, a rectangular opening formed in the second recess of each said plate in spaced relation to the first rectangular opening in -the 'fi'rst tapered recess- 0f each said plate, a third recess" formed in each said plate' below and in communication with the first rectangular opening therein, a vibratable tongue' niountd betweenthe two plates, the lower end of said tongue 'being'dis'pose'd With'in the third recesses of the twciplatesandheld in place therein, the main body of said tongue, above said'lower end,being' disposed within the first mentioned tapered recesses of the two plates and being free to vibrate intolthe'firstmentioned rectangular openings in said 'plates,: and.a valve flap mounted between the two plates at their npper' ends, said flaps being free to fiexin either direction into'engagernent with the second tapered recess'in either of the two plates, thereby closing the rectangular opening in said second tapered recess and leaving the rectangulariopening in the second tapered recess of the other plate open.

:References Cited in'the' file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 437,906 Pries Oct. 7, 1890 FOREIGN PATENTS 526,662 France July 6, 1921 961,248 France Nov. 14, 1949 

